Returning home in a rowing boat was not as easy as it was sailing in a dinghy. On the second day, the boys were both hungry and thirsty. However, Jack suspected that it was not due to tiredness that James lacked his usual energy. The child in silence looked moodily at the waves like they have betrayed him. He had no playful inclinations to put his hand overboard to touch the water. His melancholy was rubbing off on Jack. When a small island came in sight he rowed to it with the renewed determination, hopeful that a new setting might alter the mood. Otherwise, he almost came to regret that Relentless had never showed up to reclaim her prisoners.
When they landed, their first priority was to find water. Jack dreaded the possibility that there weren't any. He slowed down so James could keep up with him. It was unusual minding his pace because it was Jack who frequently had to go running after the child. Their slow pace saved him from pitching head first into a large pit that was covered by the undergrowth. The origins of the pit were mysterious. It looked like it had been dug by men for some kind of a large animal, big enough to be an elephant. However, the island didn't have any inhabitants bigger than a crab.
Jack steered James around the pit. Soon, they've located a slim trail of water between the rocks. They drank greedily, although they had nothing they could use to carry the water with them. Jack scavenged the area for fruit. James followed him out of habit without his usual curiosity, although he mirrored whatever Jack was doing perfectly. Spending time with Jack was rubbing off on him, not that he could be as awesome as Jack at being Jack, Jack figured.
They gathered more fruit and carried these provisions to their boat for further journey that Jack wanted to resume in the morning. It was getting late. The sun was scraping the tops of the waves, colouring them in red. Jack looked for the place where they could spend the night. He found what looked like a good spot and removed his jacket, intending to stretch out on his back and relax when he smelled the unmistakable sign of men, campfire and smoke.
Jack had long grown mistrustful of the world, thus he decided to investigate who they've had the pleasure of sharing this piece of land with, hopefully without them noticing him first.
Jack ordered James to guard his jacket while he went to spy on the other visitors of the island. He slid nimbly through the wall of jungle that kept trying to tangle him up. Soon, he reached his destination. There was a campfire set on the beach, not far from the trees. His caution had been prudent. Jack recognised the duo who kept threatening him on Aruba.
Todd and Trent were masters of their camp. They were roasting something tasty on the sticks above the fire. The smell was making Jack's mouth water. Further in the water, Jack saw a boat with a sail that unmistakably belonged to them. The pirates were having a conversation about whatever interested them the most at present, what brought them to the island. Jack crawled closer to eavesdrop.
"Don't you think it's strange that we've found this map washed up on the shore of Aruba?" Trent was saying as he poked his meat and blew on it, but didn't risk the taste yet.
"Don't see anything strange about it," replied Todd. His meat was not as cooked as Trent's was. He gave his stick to Trent to hold while he supposedly changed his sitting position, and then took away the stick where the meat was ready. His friend didn't appear to notice with a more serious issue plaguing him.
"But, why would anyone want to put their map in a bottle and throw it away?" said Trent. "Maps are made to make finding the treasure easier. If they throw away the map, then they will need to find the map before they can find their treasure again. That's very difficult."
"So, what are you trying to say? That this map isn't valid? In case you forgot, we were having trouble with money after losing that big gambling bet. You want to go back without the treasure to those we owe the money to?"
"No," Trent denied fervently. "But this map has letters. How can we read this map when neither of us can read? I don't like this map. Why can't all of it be drawings?"
"So?" Todd was getting angry as he burned his tongue on his meal.
"I think we need to find someone who can read."
"Then we'll have to share with them part of the treasure."
"But if we can't find the treasure, we won't get any treasure at all. It will take us forever to find it, and I'm tired," Trent got to the root of his problem.
"Stop complaining. We'll have plenty of rest tonight, and we can resume the digging tomorrow."
However, Trent, who was the one doing most of the digging, and who was sore all over, was far less willing to continue. Even if his partner kept insisting that there was something valuable on the island, he didn't want to do all the hard work. Todd didn't like being wrong, but he had to admit that his partner had a point.
"Fine, we'll sail back tomorrow and find someone who can read," he agreed grudgingly as he took Trent's share of rum. The other pirate didn't seem to mind, glad that he had won this argument.
This was bad. Jack had intended to take over the dinghy when the pirates went to look for the treasure the next day, but now he had to do it before the night was over. Jack realised that it would be very difficult to cross the sea in the rowing boat when they didn't even have water containers. He had to secure better transportation, like that dinghy. It looked far shabbier than his lost Jelly Weed, but it was better than rowing.
Jack understood why the pair went after the treasure in spite of more than dubious origin of their map. The pirates had to be adventurists. They tended to believe in unbelievable and took chances where no one else would because this is how they've made living. Cautious men didn't make very good pirates. Frequently, those treasure chases left them empty handed, but even that tiny chance when it was true was worth it.
Jack retreated from his spying position. The sun half-dipped into the sea. He had to finish his work before it got dark. He cut down the thickest bamboo trunks and cut holes in them like in the flutes. Jack carried the parts closer to the camp and assembled them. It became a complicated contraption that looked like a musical instrument.
Once it was set in place, Jack went to get his brother. James was asleep curled up on top of his jacket. Jack shook him awake and instructed him how to behave during their attempt to steal the dinghy and what to do if the attempt failed.
He waited for the night to fall on the island when the pirates began to yawn under the influence of rum and sleep. As slight breeze picked up, Jack unplugged the main holes in his instrument. The contraption began to howl and moan pitifully, creating quite a racket.
This got the duo's attention. They jumped on their feet with their weapons out. They peered in the direction of the sound like there was a legion of hellish creatures hiding in the jungle. Trent attempted to cross himself, but he got it all wrong.
"Todd," he said with his teeth nearly chattering. "Do you think it might be the island ghost?"
"There's no such thing as an island ghost," said Todd. He was putting up bravado, but he wasn't sure either. "If you go and take a look, then you will see for yourself."
"But, I do believe in ghosts," Trent insisted. "It might be the ghost that guards the treasure. If you don't believe in it, go and check yourself."
After much arguing, both pirates went to investigate. The weapons in their hands were trembling, but neither of them wanted to confess that he was more scared than the other.
"Let's go," Jack whispered to James. He ran across the open space to the dinghy past the campfire. The boat was beached. He and James pushed it with all their might, but the dinghy didn't budge. He climbed inside and raised sail, hopeful that the wind might assist it moving it, but it made no difference. Jack threw a desperate glance behind them. Todd and Trent appeared, yelling loudly as they noticed the raised sail. The pirates found his contraption. Naturally, they got suspicious and hurried back to make sure that nothing happened to their boat.
"Hide!" Jack hissed. He pushed James in the shadow of the dinghy, and sprinted along the waterline. His figure became visible in the moonlight. The pirates followed him. The pursuit was hot on his heels. Jack was tired after two days of rowing. He didn't think he could get away. He took a sharp turn into the jungle where he ducked behind a rock, but Todd lunged at his foot and tackled him down before he could hide. They rolled in a tangle with Jack doing his best to get away until Trent reached them and separated them.
Todd got up, slapping the dirt off his person, and then discovered the identity of the thief. He jaw went slack. "You!" he exclaimed.
"Me?" asked Jack, seemingly surprised at his own existence.
"How did you get here?" asked Trent as he too recognised Jack.
"I…"
"Shuddap, you'll tell us a lie anyway," yelled Todd. "I don't care how he did it, let's kill him."
As he picked up his cutlass, Jack slid out of his vest like an eel and ducked for cover, leaving the vest with Trent. "Wait! I can share a big secret with you!" he exclaimed, running around the rock with the pirates following. "I know the secret that makes Teague the most famous pirate ever!" Trent fired at him. Pieces of stone cascaded as the musket ball hit the rock. "He said that before killing a man, he first asked how that man could be useful to him!"
Trent seemed to like that idea. He stopped and scratched the back of his head with an empty pistol. "How can you possibly be of use to us?" he asked, meanwhile his partner continued chasing Jack around the rock.
Jack couldn't let them guess that he had overheard their conversation, so he kept running shouting random things. "I can jungle coconuts while standing on one foot!"
That didn't seem to be to his pursuer's liking because this time it was Todd who unloaded his pistol at him.
"I can also dress like a nun and infiltrate a church!"
"Not useful," said Trent. He began loading his pistol again.
"I can READ!"
Trent tucked his pistol into his belt and caught his buddy as he ran past him. "Wait, Todd! That can be useful."
"It's a trick," said Todd. "He will trick us again.
However, Trent was really fed up with digging. "But, he can read the map for us! We don't have to share the treasure with him, and we won't have to go back to find someone to read the map for us."
"No. He will probably steal our treasure."
But no matter how angry he was, Todd couldn't convince his partner to kill the boy yet. Trent really wanted to take the chance rather than digging up every inch of the island. After much arguing, the pirates went back to their camp as they agreed to give the map to Jack.
The map was a picture of the islands. The island they were on was marked with a large red cross, which explained how the pirates found this place to dig. The rest of the instructions were written down in a messy scrawl, explaining where exactly they had to dig once they've reached the island.
"It says we must find a monkey head first," said Jack. He had no idea what that meant. There weren't any monkeys on the island, unless it was something that resembled a monkey or some sort of poll with a dry monkey head on it.
"Todd, I've seen the monkey," suddenly, Trent remembered. "There was a big rock that had a funny shadow. It looked like the monkey's head. I've pointed it out to you, but you said that I should focus on looking for the treasure."
"You'd be even cleverer if you remembered the way to it," Todd muttered resentfully. He was sulking over the loss of his authority.
"I do!" said Trent. "Follow me!"
Trent really remembered the way. They've taken the torches and went into the jungle. The stone was huge and impossible to miss.
"Then, walk fifteen paces from the nose," said Jack. They've examined the stone, finally agreeing on where was the face. Jack counted fifteen steps and drew a big cross with the heel of his boot. "Over here," he said.
Trent threw the shovel at Jack. "You dig," he ordered.
As Jack dug, he wondered about the map. Jack thought that the instructions were too easy. It was like someone had purposely provided every hint for them to find the treasure. Even the ground was soft. Sure enough, his shovel had soon struck wood. Todd joined him by the shallow pit as they removed a small chest from the ground. The pirates were disappointed by the size. They hoped something super valuable was inside. Todd broke the lock off with the shovel and first opened the chest.
He cursed loudly, throwing his find on the ground. He shook the chest and searched it for the hidden bottom, and then broke it apart with the shovel, but nothing else was in it aside from an old compass. Trent picked it up.
"This doesn't point north!" he announced.
The compass needle indeed was spinning in circles. The pirates glared at Jack like it was his fault. They were very close to going back to their initial plan to kill him.
"Incredible!" Jack exclaimed so loudly that the bird that slept on the nearby trees shrieked and flied away. "Congratulations! You've found the legendary compass of Captain Petrov!"
"Huh?" said Trent. This pistol got tangled in his belt and he struggled to get it out.
"This compass is very special! It doesn't point north because it doesn't need to point north. All it needs to do is point to the Captain's treasure," Jack explained, although he had no idea what the compass did. "You just need to follow whichever way the compass points and you will find the real treasure. Just think about the treasure that you wanted to find and you will find it."
Trent attempted to test this theory. He thought about the treasure he wanted to find on this island. The compass needle settled on one spot, pointing behind him. He turned around and began walking that way, but the compass needle pointed again at him. Todd took over the compass, but he kept getting the same result.
Jack anticipated that he will be blamed again. "Gentlemen!" he exclaimed. "It seems to me that we are trying to approach the unapproachable. The only correct course of action would be for me to take over the compass and lead you to the treasure."
"Why will the compass work for you but not for us?" asked Todd.
"You need to speak Russian for the compass to work," said Jack.
"Why Russian?" asked Trent.
"Because the original owner of this compass was Russian, so the compass understands only Russian."
"Why should we trust you that you speak Russian?" asked Trent.
"It is simple," Jack said cheerfully, like it was the most obvious explanation in the world. "I am Jack Sparrow." With that he quickly pried the compass from Trent, who was trying to understand what being Jack Sparrow implied and why when the boy said it, as ridiculous as it was, it seemed so persuasive.
"Allow me to try," Jack muttered. He hoped that the compass needle won't point at him. He still wasn't sure how he was going to get away, he had hoped to do so while the pirates got carried away diving their treasure. He wanted the two to fall into some pit that hopefully they wouldn't be able to get out of. The needle stopped, pointing ahead of him in the direction they've come from. Having no choice, Jack followed it, feigning confidence as they circled the island. The area soon became familiar as they went past the creek. Jack recognised the line of bushes behind which lay the pit. The needle kept steadily pointing that way. A plan formed in his mind at once.
Jack confidently guided them towards the pit. When he almost got there, he heard a branch crack behind them. James must have been following, he guessed. Trent stopped and looked in the direction of the noise. Jack quickly stepped towards him and whispered in the pirate's ear, "It's here!"
Trent looked at him suspiciously.
"It's here! I can feel it getting closer. It is beyond that growth," Jack exclaimed loudly, pointing towards the bushes. When there were only several feet left between them and the pit, Jack fell on the ground. His eyes rolled back and he convulsed like a man possessed. He spoke in a deep, haunted voice. "Who comes to seek my treasure? I, Duke Petrov, allow my map to come floating across the sea in the bottle only to the worthy! Only those who can take care of my legendary treasure may find my map! There are diamonds as clear as the crystals of ice, sapphires blue as the sky and rubies red as the blood pouring out of the hearts of my enemies. The first one to close his eyes and walk through the wall of grass and flowers will have the shower of golden coins descend on him!"
"Well then," said Todd quickly. Claim as he might that he didn't believe in ghosts, he was spooked by Jack's performance that was absolutely eerie at night in the torch light. But, even so, his ambition was even greater. "I think I should go first."
"Wait," said Trent, "Why shouldn't I be the first one to enter! I found the bottle first."
"I opened it!" Todd yelled.
"Hurry! Or the gold will disappear with the moonlight!" Jack howled.
The pirates closed their eyes and stepped through the undergrowth at the same time. They fell into the pit and rolled down the steep slope with a string of curses as they got scratched by every branch and encountered every bump on the way down.
"James!" Jack called. The child came to his side at once. Jack noted that he had done an excellent job hiding very near without being seen, in a spot where a grown up couldn't have fitted.
They ran like their life depended on it to the dinghy. It smelled terribly, but that was unimportant. The tide had risen a little while they were looking for treasure. After much pushing, the dinghy was floating. Jack guided it further out into the sea. The wind wasn't strong, but it was enough to steer them away from the island.
Todd and Trent appeared on the shore. Only the greatest fury and desire for vengeance gave them strength to get out of the pit. They ran into the water. Trent even attempted to swim after their stolen boat, but it was too late. The boys went out of their reach.
Once he set sail, Jack examined his first hard won piece of plunder. The compass needle was pointing in the same direction that they were heading, Aruba. Jack didn't believe that the compass was broken. He had a theory that he wanted to test.
As he poke and probed the compass, trying to learn its secret, a tall wave smashed against the dinghy. A force pried the compass from Jack and carried it overboard. He tried to grab it as it sunk, but his fingers only got a pinch of water.
Blast, he thought. If the sea Goddess wanted the compass, then there was nothing he could do to contest it. Perhaps, one day he would come across that shiny item again and banter it for a sack of gold. He hadn't been able to solve yet why that compass was important, but it was mysterious, and a mystery was something he couldn't resist solving.
He shared a conspirator grin with James and ruffled the child's hair. "Worry not," he said, more thinking about what troubled the child rather than possible vengeance of the duo. The duo was a problem to deal with in the future rather than tonight. "Everything's going to be fine."